Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Job is a great book for all of us. It shows us an example of an historical person who suffered severely but remained faithful to the Lord through it all. (Job 1:21,22) I think I can say that no matter what we have to endure in our lives, it will not come close to the suffering of Job. Yes, he had his questions for God. However, his faith did not waver. We can learn a lot from a man who lost all of his family, except his wife, all of his possessions, and his health.
God wanted to show Satan an example of a faithful believer. That is why God allowed Satan to take everything in his life away, except for his health, in one day. After that horrific loss, Job did not get angry with God, nor did he reject Him. Job understood a basic spiritual truth. We brought nothing into this world, and we will not take anything with us when we leave. Therefore, those things are not what is important in life. The Lord gives them, and He can and will take them away, if He deems it best for us. We must keep our focus on Him, no matter what happens. Our relationship with God is the main thing. Without Him we are lost for eternity. That is why after losing all of these things Job would say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." His heart knew that God never makes a mistake, and He deserves all of our praise all the time, even in the worst of times.
I have heard it said that our suffering will either make us "bitter," or it will make us "better." Job never got bitter, but he allowed God to do a work in his life to make him better. He kept trusting Him and praising Him. He never sinned because of his pain, and he did not charge God with doing wrong. May we be able to have the same testimony when we stand before Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 2-4.
God wanted to show Satan an example of a faithful believer. That is why God allowed Satan to take everything in his life away, except for his health, in one day. After that horrific loss, Job did not get angry with God, nor did he reject Him. Job understood a basic spiritual truth. We brought nothing into this world, and we will not take anything with us when we leave. Therefore, those things are not what is important in life. The Lord gives them, and He can and will take them away, if He deems it best for us. We must keep our focus on Him, no matter what happens. Our relationship with God is the main thing. Without Him we are lost for eternity. That is why after losing all of these things Job would say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." His heart knew that God never makes a mistake, and He deserves all of our praise all the time, even in the worst of times.
I have heard it said that our suffering will either make us "bitter," or it will make us "better." Job never got bitter, but he allowed God to do a work in his life to make him better. He kept trusting Him and praising Him. He never sinned because of his pain, and he did not charge God with doing wrong. May we be able to have the same testimony when we stand before Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 2-4.